Cross+Platform+Tools

List the pros and cons for our app for each tool below: Make sure to look on Youtube as well as on the webpages of each and Google searches. We need a full understanding of each to make a good decision. Things to look at are cost, platforms, if we need THEM to do something or if we can do it ourselves, limitations (like maps).... look over a few and be ready to ask Clark questions. We EACH need to research TWO by next week. First come on sign ups below!

There is a debate over platforms, delivery, etc. Its very technical and not something that most of us are comfortable with. It is something that developers are familiar with though and understanding some of this is useful. I found these two articles to be especially useful and should help give further understanding and clarity regarding these issues: [] []

RESPONSE-since we are talking about the following tools, we are leaning towards a hybrid app that can cross platforms. Right?

Some more information..... []

[] Trey Rhomobile is very versitile. Its a whole suite of tools and is supposed to be one of the best. PRO: Native apps; Free MIT license but hosting costs; build quickly online without downloading SDKs; build for all platforms;online tutorials CON: Ruby language is not one that Clark has used before;

http://www.appcelerator.com/ - Debbie - see comments below

http://phonegap.com/ - Debbie - see comments below

http://www.mosync.com/- Jonathan

http://www.sencha.com/ - Harmoni - web based, need to purchase an EXT JS 4.0 license, can use Sencha Touch for free for a commercial and open source application, if embedding is required, need to purchase OEM license, must purchase Sancha Care support. * Sencha support begins at $299 and JS also begins as $299. Based on cost and being web based --> NOT RECOMMENDED

http://www.anscamobile.com/ - Harmoni - can be run on all platforms (iOS, android, kindle fire, and nook)= PLUS! however the cost for running on all platforms is $350/year. There is an option to only buy iOS or android this would be $199/year for each. If we want both it's a better deal to buy the service for one year for all platforms. Reviews say it's "incredibly intuitive and simple to use and it makes us very cost effective..." Can blend HTML 5 and OpenGL graphics. Has a simulator available that you can view between different devices to see the changes made in coding instantly. Seems really easy to navigate- both Corona (the app building server) and the website. Only cost would be to use the server.- possibility!

http://www.dragonrad.com/overview-- Jonathan

http://www.unitymobile.com/ Shawntel- $14 per month for do it yourself and support across platforms. HTML, all devices, more webbased platform than native, NOT SUGGESTED.

[] Trey
 * Cons**: This app is not applicable as it does not support Iphone nor Android devices - only available thru Nokia store at this time. NOT SUGGESTED

http://www.superwaba.com.br/en/tc_overview.asp Shawntel 2-3 thousand dollars per year. CON! Must be run on their system in their language. NOT SUGGESTED

__Pro's__ Just need HTML5/CSS/Javascript skills vs Objective-C or Java. Single code base for all platforms (iOS, Android, Windows 7, mobile web) Rapid testing and deployment (up until you Phonegap it, at which point you're subject to App Store review conditions, etc) With Phonegap, you can still take advantage of distribution and integrated payment via the App Store or Android Market Good with simple apps It's free and open sourced
 * PhoneGap-**Debbie (I will continue to research and add information)

__Cons__ Poor performance, esp if your app is graphically intense, i.e. a game. You can implement caching or leverage some 3rd party solutions (i.e. Sibblingz) for native graphics acceleration but for the most part a native app is much faster/smoother than mobile web app Lack of pre-built UI widgets, transitions, standard controls, etc. Not good if you need complex functionalities Reports of crashes and robustness User comments not very positive PhoneGap is an open source project, which means that many people are working on different parts of it at the same time, and this can cause problems PhoneGap has some issues where things work a certain way on the Apple platform, but differently on the Android platform.

__Pro's__ Use a language many developers know (JavaScript). Support both iOS and Android without learning two separate languages. Faster to develop with for those not proficient with the iOS and Android SDKs. Growing community.
 * Appcelerator** - Debbie (I will continue to research and add information)

__Con's__ Documentation isn't always great. Lots of trial error. If your not a paying customer you can easily get "stuck". Still a lot of iOS and Android specific coding needed (although its a heck of a lot less than using the individual SDKs).

__Pro's__ appMobi offers a complete cloud-based development system that includes a the XDK development tool (includes debugging on PC and device, emulation, and final binary builds for Android and Apple platforms) It's possible to develop Apple apps without owning a Mac using appMobi, but you still want to join the Apple developer program so your app is posted under your name as the developer AppMob has a free account, but it's PRO account is cheap -$99 per developer per year. They are partnered with Amazon AWS and offer a lot of extra services such as remote updates of apps (without resubmitting through the Apple App Store), analytics, push notifications, an ad system, and in-app payments, all of which are "pay as you go". appMobi is based on the technology used for the pioneer iOS streaming app "FlyCast", which has 4 million users, so they know about scalability and servers,etc.
 * AppMobi** - Debbie (I had started to research this... I will continue to add things if I run across them)

__Con's__

__** MOSYNC and DRAGONRAD **__

I will recommend MOSYNC. I read through the Google user group and it got good reviews. There is a Map Demo for MOSYNC which is part of the SDK. That tells me it is made to support such applications and is suited for our needs. It is a native app and capable of HTML 5 or C++ or a combination of both. It is also open source (GPL)and a free license.

DRAGONRAD got good reviews but it is more of an Enterprise System which means it is for designing business apps. I do not think we need that. IT is also a Web App which based on Clark’s recommendations is the least preferable. There is a commercial license but the site claims there is a free version.

Pros & Cons are listed below. I will continue to look for more information.

__**MOSYNC**__- [] Recommend “Yes”

Ios & Android Supports Native Apps License Free- Open SOurce
 * Pros : **

With release of MOSYNC 2.7 last October it included something called the Wormhole which is can create fully featured applications either in HTML5 or C/C++ or a combination of both, resulting in both ease-of-use and performance at the same time

Used for an App titled “MapDemo”- Works well. Here is the link for the team if you want to look for yourself. MOSYNC site says this is included in SDK in examples folder. http://www.mosync.com/documentation/manualpages/mapdemo

HTML 5 works on Android & IOS only
 * Cons: I have not found any negative comments. Will continue to search **

__**DragonRad**__-- à [] Recommend “No”

Pros: Great reviews as an Enterprse application (For Business) but that is not what we are designing.

Drag and Drop feature makes it easy to create forms (CNET Review) Create application that works on both Android and Blackberry Claims to Connects to any data base or web service

Cons-: Web App License- Commercial. Website states a free version is also available. Not clear if that is just a starter version. I do nto think we can expect to produce this App on the free version and take it to market.

Small User community, not a lot of documentation, have to rely on support cannot look to web (CNET Reviews)

Diffic ult to learn ( CNET Reviews)